Say Good Riddance To Ants In Your Home In The Bay Area

Do bugs bug you? Chances are they do. The real question is, what bugs are the most likely to get under your skin? Although spiders are the most common home-invading pest in the United States, they like to stay hidden. The same thing is not true for the almost equally common ants. Ants love to crawl through living areas and have no problem stealing food directly in front of you and your family. What you might not know is that many local ants can pose a threat to your health or the quality of your home. We would like to take some time today to talk about these invasive pests and offer some methods to stop them from taking over your property. If that is what you are here for, here is what you should know about the different types of ants in the Bay Area and how to stop them before they cause trouble inside your home. Reach out to our team at Bay Pest if you would like to learn more about our control offerings. We will answer your questions about ant pest control in the Bay Area and give you what you need to make an informed decision on services for your home and property. Keep reading to learn more about these terrible local pests and find out how to identify, control, and prevent an active infestation.

Signs Of An Ant Infestation

It is not always easy to know when your home has an active ant infestation. Sometimes these pests are sneaky and do not come out into the open. This, however, is only occasionally true. Many of our local species tend to be pretty obvious in the way they invade area homes. Common species like odorous house ants, little black ants, and pharaoh ants have no problem actively crawling through your living areas, even when you are around. You may notice with these pests that they will try to leave quickly when you notice them. Fortunately, they are not generally fast enough to scoot around corners and avoid detection. Keeping this in mind, if you are looking for how to identify ants, most of the time, all you need are your eyes. That said, there is one local species that you might need to work harder to identify.

Carpenter ants are not like other common ants in the Bay Area. They sometimes invade homes without coming fully indoors. What does this mean? Well, a carpenter ant's main reason for breaking into a man-made structure is to build a home out of wood. These pests infest boards, beams, and other wooden objects in order to build nests inside of them. If carpenter ants get into your home for this reason and do not come fully indoors, you may not notice a problem until they have severely damaged the wood behind or inside your floors, ceilings, and walls. To spot these pests before they cause serious trouble, look for pin-sized holes, frass, and visible damage to wooden structures. For help spotting these destructive bugs, bring in our team for a thorough inspection. This is the absolute best way to spot a problem before it becomes severe. To help you better understand carpenter ants and other problematic local species, here are some things to consider.

An Ant Infestation Is A Bigger Problem Than You May Think

Not every ant infestation is a serious threat to your health or home. Most ant species in the Bay Area are completely harmless and only cause problems for a person's mental health and stability. This is to say that while all ants are annoying, only a few cause significant problems. We would like you to understand these problematic species and know how to deal with them inside and around your home. To do this, here are the three most commonly problematic species that are found here in the Bay Area.

Carpenter ants are the largest pest ants in the Bay Area. They can grow to be upwards of ⅝ of an inch long and have large mandibles and heads. The main way these pests cause a problem is by chewing tunnels into the wooden structure of homes. The purpose of this is to provide space for their queen and colony. Given enough time, carpenter ant damage will become noticeable. The sooner you can identify and eliminate an infestation of these pests, the greater your chances of avoiding a massive repair bill. 

Pharaoh ants are small yellow ants that love to break into homes and commercial spaces here in the Bay Area. These insects are mostly a problem because they like to crawl through dirty areas like trash cans. They regularly pick up bacteria from areas like this and then spread sickness vectors throughout homes. Two sickness vectors you can expect from these pests include salmonellosis and staphylococcus. Thankfully, like other common ants, these invasive creatures are preventable.

Other ants, such as odorous house ants or Argentine ants, can be a nuisance and have the potential to contaminate your food sources. While some species can present more risks than others, having ants inside your home is always a problem. Thankfully, the professionals at Bay Pest can help provide you with an easy solution to these pests. If you would like to know how to control ants inside and around your home using DIY or professional control, here is what you need to know.

The Best Way To Get Rid Of An Ant Infestation

Trying to deal with an active ant problem on your own is not a simple task. These pests establish nests around the exterior of homes which makes preventing reinfestation extremely difficult. The absolute best way to get rid of these pests involves hiring a pest control professional. Thankfully, choosing a reliable provider is not difficult. Since you are here today, consider our quality pest control offerings. Bay Pest is a local provider that has been in the industry for over 40 years. The reason we have been able to stay in business for this long is because of our dedication to our clients. From the start, we have always put our community first, whether through offering estimates, performing no-risk inspections, offering tailored solutions, or providing a pest-free guarantee. The only thing you have to do today is decide what service works best for you.

Ant pest control is one of our most popular services here at Bay Pest. To help you handle these pests, we offer a three-stage program. It all starts with a thorough inspection of your home and property. This will help our team determine what types of ants you are up against and the severity of your infestation. Next, we will treat the exterior perimeter of your home and nesting sites using advanced ant control products. Finally, we will schedule a follow-up visit to ensure that treatments are working. These three stages are essential components of a successful ant control strategy. If you would like to combine effective ant control with other pest control, we have additional options for you. Contact our team to learn more about our offerings and find a plan to best handle your pest troubles or to prevent them before they have a chance to start.

Naturally Effective Tips To Prevent Future Ant Problems

Some people do not have the finances to invest in professional ant control. If this is the case for you, do not worry. There are many effective preventative measures you can take on your own to deter these terrible little insects. Here are a few of the best naturally effective ant prevention tips to use around your home and property.

• Remove clutter from your home and yard, and do your best to keep your living areas organized to eliminate nesting areas.
• Keep up with general chores like dishes, sweeping, vacuuming, taking out the trash, and mess management to eliminate factors attracting ants into your home.
• Wipe up excess moisture around your home.
• Make sure all of your pipes and fixtures are in good working condition and address any leaks that occur.
• Clean out your gutters once a year and make sure they are working properly to divert water away from your foundation.
• Check your home's exterior foundation for gaps, holes, and cracks. Seal as many of these potential entry points up as possible using silicone caulk or liquid cement.
• Ensure all of your exterior doors and windows are in good working condition and properly sealed with weatherstripping and door sweeps.
• Repair or replace any damaged screens around your home.
• Keep all of your unscreened windows and doors closed when you are not using them. 
• Keep your trash cans covered with tight-fitting lids, empty them regularly, and clean them as needed. 

For the best ant prevention available, contact our team at Bay Pest to learn about our year-round ant control offerings or to make a service visit for your Bay Area home and property. You are likely to be surprised at how affordable our plans are.